


kiss me or kill me

by thegrumblingirl



Series: Dishonored prompts [2]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Contemporary AU, Corvo's still a bodyguard, Daud's a mob boss, Jess is CEO, Multi, and everyone is poly, and then it took on a life of its own, this was born from a tumblr prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 15:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14897292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrumblingirl/pseuds/thegrumblingirl
Summary: A rabbi, a bodyguard, and a mob boss walk into a coffee shop — for most people, this would be nothing more than the tell-tale beginning of a truly awful joke. For Corvo Attano, security chief to CEO Jessamine Kaldwin of Dunwall, Inc., the punchline hit rather too close to home.





	1. the beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BID](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BID/gifts).



> inspired by [this post](https://screwtheprinceimtakingthehorse.tumblr.com/post/174737308241/sirhate-lily-peet-bad-idea-for-a-romantic)  
> and this [prompt](https://screwtheprinceimtakingthehorse.tumblr.com/post/174754245785/you-want-a-mashup-have-4-coffee-shop-and-86-i)  
> original prompt posted [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13582677/chapters/34498136)
> 
> bid, this is all your fault :'D

A rabbi, a bodyguard, and a mob boss walk into a coffee shop — for most people, this would be nothing more than the tell-tale beginning of a truly awful joke. For Corvo Attano, security chief to CEO Jessamine Kaldwin of Dunwall, Inc., the punchline hit rather too close to home.

And if Rabbi Martin knew, he would probably give Corvo that Terribly Disappointed Look, before muttering to himself about lazy bastards living in their suits — whatever that would have been supposed to mean. Corvo did not pretend to know.

Thankfully, the rabbi had not actually been there that day; as Corvo would have been ill equipped to explain why he stood in the coffee shop only a stone’s throw from his apartment, on his way to work, mentally going through Jessamine’s schedule for the day and making sure the itinerary he’d set up still matched with her calendar by checking his phone; when, suddenly, all thought careened to a halt as he became aware of the man currently waiting, patiently, at the other end of the long counter.

He knew that face. Had only ever seen it on grainy surveillance footage, provided — reluctantly — by Lieutenant Curnow of the GPD, though.

Daud. Feared mob boss, rumoured former assassin, the one who held the entirety of Gristol’s organised crime in the palm of his hand. Corvo estimated him to be four or five years older than himself at the most. He looked a little older in person, but that was probably down to the scar carving up the right side of his face.

Such a distinctive mark, and yet he was still walking free. Corvo had once jokingly suggested putting up wanted posters throughout the city — Curnow had only retorted that an APB and about two dozen outstanding arrest warrants should do.

Corvo begged to differ.

Lost in his thoughts, he had kept his eye on the man for far too long, and now, when he tried to go back to the contents of his phone, he found Daud’s startlingly bright eyes staring right back.

There was hardly any doubt that Daud knew who he was, and who he worked for. Dunwall, Inc. had been the target of one of Daud’s crew’s operations often enough — shipments stolen, attempted break-ins in more remote facilities… Corvo wondered if one day an attempt on Jess’ life would join the charge sheet.

He’d be ready, if that day ever came.

For now, he held Daud’s gaze — what else was he to do? They stared at one another, assessing, each caught out by their knowledge of who the other man was and their uncertainty what to do about it — in such a public place, even Daud seemed to have scruples. He shifted, straightening up from where he’d been leaning against the counter with his hip cocked. He broke eye contact, and then reached into the inner pocket of his finely tailored suit.

Corvo tensed.

Daud withdrew his own phone, and started tapping in commands — short and to the point, it seemed. He was done, apparently, by the time the barista deposited a tall cup at his elbow. Daud looked up to thank them, judging by the smile the young woman gave him, then took his order and, with one last glance at Corvo across the heads of the other customers, turned to leave the shop. Corvo didn’t dare turn to watch him go, his mind racing.

Should he have done something? Shit, he should have called Curnow. Instead, he’d done nothing.

“Good morning, sir, what can I get ya?”

Corvo needed a moment to realise it was his turn.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, “I just realised, I must have forgotten my wallet. Excuse me.”

He quickly turned, left the queue. Daud was unlikely to go anywhere without protection, so even if Corvo hadn’t seen anyone directly outside or inside the coffee shop, following the man was an extraordinarily stupid idea. Corvo looked at his watch. He had ten minutes.

He’d gotten about four blocks further when he caught sight of Daud — he wasn’t especially tall, but his frame was broad and the way he held himself as he walked was another thing Corvo recognised from borrowed surveillance footage. Now that he was paying attention, Corvo saw that Daud was “followed” by three young men in suits, not as finely tailored as Daud’s own, but close enough to know that he paid them well.

Corvo glanced at his watch again. Seven minutes, then he’d have to turn around. He tailed Daud and his entourage for two more blocks when a bus passed before Corvo could cross the street — and, suddenly, they were gone. Shit. Corvo, knowing full well that this was just yet another bad idea, picked up his pace. He passed a shadowy alleyway, briefly glancing inside but deciding it wasn’t worth the bother. He’d barely taken another step when a gravelly voice behind him spoke.

“Attano. A word.”

Fuck.

He could have kept going, could have just ignored the voice and done his best to get out. He followed the voice instead.

He stepped into the alley, letting his eyes adjust to the dark until he could make out Daud, leaning against the wall, his cup of hot caffeine still in one hand, the other in his trouser pocket. Behind him, his three shadows, regarding Corvo indifferently. Corvo wondered whether, if this were a penny novel, they’d be wearing masks.

“Figured we’d run into each other sooner or later,” Daud said à propos of nothing, sounding as cavalier as though just remarking upon the weather. Clement, for the season.

“What do you want?“ Corvo demanded, more to give his tongue something to do and to buy himself some time.

“Me?” At this, Daud pushed off the wall and came closer. His guards didn’t move a muscle. They had to trust that Daud could take care of himself well enough — even against Corvo Attano, former black ops. “You were staring at me across a coffee shop for a full two minutes. Really, Corvo,” Daud rumbled when he stopped just in front of him, Corvo’s hackles rising at being addressed by his first name, “there were children around.”

Corvo ground his teeth. “If you’re trying to offend me, it’s not working,” he informed him, clipped.

“Oh?” Daud raised a brow. Then, he smirked. “Good to know.”

For a moment, Corvo could only stare. What the fuck was he doing?

“If you’re not going to shoot me, take me hostage, or threaten my employer,“ he rallied, “then I really must be going.“

Daud responded by stepping closer.

“So soon?”

“Daud,” Corvo threatened, quite as though — shit, as though he were talking to Jess when she was teasing him by contemplating yet another dress thirty minutes before they were due to leave for yet another charity gala. Not to a dangerous mob boss who might well one day decide that he wanted them dead for profit.

He nearly missed Daud’s sharp intake of breath, well as he tried to hide it.

“Alright,” Daud conceded, and gestured towards the busy streets. “But I do hope we get to continue this… conversation at a later date.”

Conversation?

“I wouldn’t call this ‘talking,’” Corvo said before he could stop himself.

“Get to work, Attano,” Daud answered, accompanying the words with a dismissive little gesture that Corvo would have very much liked to break his arm for. “We’ll… talk. Soon.”

Before he could make even more of a fool of himself, Corvo turned on his heel, loathe though he was to turn his back on such a man as Daud, and left the alley at a measured pace.

Damn if Daud saw him running.

Would they, then? Talk?

Corvo had no idea.

They’d just have to see.


	2. the invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, Corvo hesitated before turning right and letting his feet lead him back to the coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't stop, won't stop :D
> 
> Daud and Corvo: walking disasters

The next morning, Corvo hesitated before turning right and letting his feet lead him back to the coffee shop. He did not go down there every morning, careful not to become predictable. He took different routes to work every day, he stopped for coffee only when it suited him; much as everyone who had the nerve to try and tail him would know exactly where he worked — the tallest building in the entire city, as it happened.

Nevertheless, he did go.

Daud, of course, was not there.

But why would he have been there the day before, Corvo wondered. It was hardly likely that Daud’s crew’s base was located anywhere close to Corvo’s apartment. No, surely not. But then what had he been doing there? Had he been in the neighbourhood? On business? Corvo scoffed to himself quietly.

Preposterous.

He ordered and paid for his cup of coffee and waited for the barista to slide it over, trying to put all thoughts of Daud, the mysterious mob boss and assassin from his mind. It was surprisingly difficult.

When his order was ready, it was delivered by the young woman from the day before.

“Sir?” she asked. “This was left for you.”

Along with his styrofoam cup, she slid a folded piece of paper across the counter.

“For me?” Corvo looked down at the unoffending note. Who could have—oh no. “Thank you,” he told the barista quickly, collecting his beverage and his… correspondence.

He left the coffee shop and walked four blocks in the opposite direction before he opened the note.

“Attano —

If you’re still interested in having a chat, come meet me at Gower Street, corner Market Street. You’ll know where.

If not — have a good day.

— D.”

Corvo scoffed, again. He’d actually signed it. The bastard had actually—fuck. He needed to tell Jess.


	3. the deliberation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Corvo,” Jess said, her tone now serious. “Is this a trap?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mind me, just getting this out of my system

Corvo told her that night, at her house — well, it was a mansion, really. Emily, Jessamine’s daughter, was still up, but immersed in a book and listening to music on the other side of the open-space living room. Emily wasn’t his, but he’d come to love her as though she were. Jessamine’s husband had died when she was just two years old. Shortly after, Corvo had left the Navy and, through contacts in private security, been hired as Dunwall, Inc.’s new head of security. Jessamine had relieved his predecessor, Burrows, for publicly undisclosed reasons. Privately, Corvo suspected it was because Burrows had something to do with Jessamine’s husband’s death.

They’d been friends, first, what with Corvo responsible for Jessamine and Emily’s personal security and thus uniquely involved in Jess’ professional and private life. Lives she tried to keep separate as well as her job would allow. She’d inherited the company from her father, and under her leadership, it had steadily grown over the past decade.

Slowly, Corvo had become her closest confidant, comforting her when loss and grief caught up with her. Over time, he’d realised he’d gone and fallen in love with her. For a moment, one shameful second, he’d considered leaving the company.

The moment had passed. He had a job to do.

It had taken another year of him coming to terms with his feelings and the certainty that nothing would ever come of them for him to realise that Jess was the best thing that had ever happened to him. That was all he’d ever need. His job was to keep her safe, and he’d do it — his feelings were his problem, not hers.

And then, one night as he accompanied her home from a dinner with potential new investors, she’d invited him in. In and of itself, that was nothing unusual. They often had tea and coffee after such occasions, talking (and laughing) about the other guests and subjects for Corvo to look into.

What was unusual, however, was when Jess looked at him sideways, her cup of tea in hand, and asked him if he was ever going to work up the nerve to kiss her.

A good long minute of staring later, he had her pressed up against the counter, and her hands were in his hair.

For the sake of appearances, Corvo had kept his town apartment. It was close to Dunwall Tower, for one thing, and while Jess did not fear other people’s remarks, she dreaded pressure from the board. They would undoubtedly call for her to make the relationship public — to marry Corvo. Her employee.

While it could be argued that seeing her head of security in secret only made it look shadier than it was, Corvo held no claim to her, or to Emily. He was Jess’ partner and he strived to be someone Emily could depend on.

And now, he was going to tell her that he’d received an invitation from none other than Gristol’s most notorious crime boss.

An invitation? A proposition? Corvo could not rightly say.

“… and now I’ve received this,” Corvo concluded his tale. He’d not told her of his first encounter with Daud yet — he’d planned on doing so tonight, as the night before Jessamine had been involved in several late-night board meetings.

And now, Jess was staring at him. The corners of her mouth twitched.

Then, she began to laugh.

Usually, her laughter was infectious, but today Corvo was too anxious to join in her amusement.

“Corvo, I—” she began, then had to laugh some more. Eventually, she got a hold of herself. Corvo surreptitiously checked that they’d not attracted Emily’s attention.

“Corvo,” Jess said, her tone now serious. “Is this a trap?”

“I—I honestly don’t know,” he told her earnestly. “He didn’t seem to want to do me any harm yesterday.”

“And today?” Jessamine’s expression turned shrewd. “You know… it did sound awfully like he was flirting with you.”

Corvo buried his face in his hand.


	4. the meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvo looked around. “You’ll know where,” the note had said. Daud seemed awfully confident for someone who’d said all but a few sentences to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bloody hell, Daud

Corvo had belatedly realised that Daud’s note had not specified a time — so he had to assume that the location he’d named would be under constant surveillance from the moment Corvo had received the invitation.

What was he doing? Making a _very_ strange new acquaintance — or leading the lamb to slaughter?

What was waiting for him was not what he’d expected. Of course he’d looked up the area before he’d headed out, and what he saw now confirmed it. Abandoned warehouses as far as the eye could see. This area had been under development for years — Jess had optioned it, but the city had given the contract to a developing firm from Morley, bowing to outside pressure not to let Dunwall, Inc. single-handedly conduct all of Gristol’s business. Whether that was a smart move remained to be seen.

Corvo looked around. “You’ll know where,” the note had said. Daud seemed awfully confident for someone who’d said all but a few sentences to him. Corvo turned, fully expecting not to find anything of interested — until his eyes caught on—son of a bitch. Of course. A huge whale skeleton graffiti emblazoned on the side of one of the warehouses. That oughtta do it.

And one of the door was only ajar. Corvo took another deep breath. He was here. He might as well enter the lion’s den. Much as Daud might prefer a different animal. But what did it matter to him what Daud _liked_? He ventured inside, and was about to make use of the pocket flashlight he carried with him everywhere when the overhead lights snapped on at his entrance. Seemingly out of nowhere, a young man in a nice suit stepped into his path.

“This way.”

Corvo hardly saw any option but to follow. He had no idea what to expect, but it wasn’t this: Daud, a table set for two — an expensive-looking bottle of wine from Cullero, and even more expensive-looking food.

“I dispensed with the flowers,” Daud said by way of greeting. He was already seated, but stood when Corvo drew closer. “But I do hope you like Barolo?”

“I have a question first,” Corvo held up a hand.

Daud inclined his head.

“Did you engineer our meeting?” Corvo asked, watching Daud carefully.

In return, Daud smiled, a gesture that Corvo, against all odds, feared to be the genuine article. It almost suited him. In spite of the scar.

“No,” Daud answered simply. “As little as I like to leave anything to chance, I did not contrive to catch your eye that day.“ He paused. “Although I cannot say I’m complaining.”

“Stop it.” The words were out of Corvo’s mouth before he could stop them.

Daud frowned a little. “Stop what?”

Corvo let out an exasperated sigh. “Flirting,” he dared play Jessamine’s hunch.

Daud’s smile returned. “Alright.”

Something told Corvo it was not going to be that easy at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (yes, the Barolo is a PoI reference... XD)


	5. the dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvo considered the chair Daud had beckoned him to. What was he about to get himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man

Corvo reined in another sigh.

“What is this?”

And, really, he should have asked this coming in — he should have never _come in_. Why was he here? He was in dangerous territory — Daud’s territory. He was outnumbered, outgunned, and even though he was confident enough he could take Daud’s crew, he wasn’t so sure about the man himself. (The answer to that, of course, was simple: curiosity. Corvo wondered, now, if that invariably killed the cat.)

“Please,” Daud said now, gesturing towards the chair opposite him. “Take a seat.”

Corvo hesitated. Daud watched him, expression unchanging. Corvo wondered how long until his patience with Corvo’s dithering ass ran out.

He moved to sit down, nearly flinching when one of Daud’s crew — a young woman, this time, regarding him darkly — appeared beside him without warning.

“Billie…,” Daud drawled, his eyes cutting towards her for a brief moment.

“He could be wearing a wire,” Billie argued, and by her unflinching expression and Daud’s ticking jaw, she was the only one who would dare make her sentiments known in such a situation.

“Are you wearing a wire, Corvo?” Daud asked _him_.

“No,” Corvo answered plainly, keeping his eyes on Daud. It was him he had to convince, not his right hand.

“Are you armed?”

“I’d be stupid not to be.”

Daud smiled. “I agree.” He looked to Billie. “Leave him alone.”

Billie pursed her lips, but nodded — and backed off. Corvo considered the chair Daud had beckoned him to. What was he about to get himself into? He sat down, and only then truly considered the table set in front of him. If the food was as good as it smelled…

“You were having me watched,” Corvo concluded.

Daud had the gall to shrug. “I didn’t want dinner to get cold.”

Corvo frowned. “You haven’t been here all day, have you?“

“No, but my personal chef has been.“ Daud smirked. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Corvo narrowed his eyes a little — Jessamine’s amused remark had sent Corvo down the path of reinterpreting everything Daud had done and said in that alley; and finding suggestive undertones was… too easy, once one had started to look for them.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked instead. “Can I at least assume that, if you’re having your _personal chef_ skulk around in abandoned warehouses all day, you’re not planning on having me killed just yet?”

Daud… laughed. It was more of a bark, to be fair, short and sharp, but his grin was… something.

“I always thought important business should not be conducted on an empty stomach.”

“Business?” Corvo echoed. “What sort of _business_ could you possibly have in mind? Dunwall, Inc. does not—”

Daud held up a placating hand. “I know full well that the Empress,” he cited the much-hated nickname the press had coined for Jess, “does not deal with shadowy figures like me. Just… politicians, and judges, and industrial spies.”

Corvo observed him a moment. For all that, Daud seemed… amused, still.

“Answer me this, Corvo: does Lieutenant Curnow know you’re here?”

“No.”

“Does Jessamine?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s have dinner. We shouldn’t let all that skulking around go to waste.”


	6. the return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvo sat down next to her, took her into his arms and kissed her. He needed to reassure himself this entire day hadn’t just been a fever dream. When he withdrew, Jess was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it just.... gets worse. more plot keeps turning up and making itself comfortable.

When Corvo returned to the house a few hours later, Jessamine was waiting up for him, lounging on the spacious sofa and reading.

“How was it?” was the first thing she asked, putting her book away and sitting up.

Corvo sat down next to her, took her into his arms and kissed her. He needed to reassure himself this entire day hadn’t just been a fever dream. When he withdrew, Jess was smiling.

“You had wine.”

Corvo put his face in his hand again — it was becoming a familiar gesture. He’d actually tasted the wine — after Daud had, and from the same decanter, but still.

“We did. And dinner,” he told her. “Nice dinner.”

Jessamine laughed and, when she saw his puzzled expression, wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“And what of his conversation?” she asked.

Corvo sighed.

At first, they’d spoken little except for Corvo to compliment the quality of the wine and the food — bloodox steak, with steamed potatoes and other vegetables of the season. He couldn’t say why he’d chosen to be _polite_ , of all things, but it had given Daud obvious satisfaction.

For a while, they’d immersed themselves in their dinner, then, Corvo’s curiosity mounting until he thought he might burst with it. Daud had saved him from blurting something ill-considered by beginning light conversation — or what he considered to be such.

Jessamine laughed louder. “He asked you what you thought of pagan cults? During dinner?”

Corvo made a face. “The warehouse we were in had a whale skeleton painted on it. I made the mistake of remarking that it seemed fitting.”

Jessamine tilted her head at him. “Well, his crew are nicknamed ‘the Whalers,’ and he led you there. So it’s his own fault if you can’t help but think of… that.”

‘That’ being a lingering superstition from days gone by, old folklore tales, of a watcher in the dark. Frightening stories parents told their children, stories of the Leviathans and the Outsider, a mysterious figure from the Void that led little children away from their homes. It was how they learnt about strangers.

Before Corvo could reply, Jess continued, “What else did you talk about?”

“He asked when was the last time I visited Karnaca.”

“Did he? You know, there are rumours that he—“

“Jess,” Corvo interrupted her, withdrawing from her embrace to face her. “What are we doing? I should be taking this to Curnow, tell him that Gristol’s most dangerous criminal has let me as close as a foot with a gun in my holster. Jess, I could take him _down_.”

Jess gave him a long look.

“And Daud knows you won’t.”

“What?!”

“Corvo, he risked you deciding to do exactly that to have _dinner_ with you. You could have joined Curnow’s task force as a consultant years ago. You never did, you always said as long as Daud didn’t truly target us or the company, it wasn’t your fight. And we both know it’s because he keeps the other families in line.”

Corvo sighed and let himself drop back into the couch cushions.

He remembered digging into Jess’ husband’s death on his own dime after learning more about Burrows’ dealings. Tailor was the name that had come up often enough for Corvo to take an interest. Digging deeper, he’d found that, shortly after Leon had been found dead in the Wrenhaven, Tailor’s operations in the western districts of the city had taken a huge, deliberate hit. It hadn’t taken long to confirm that it had been Daud who’d engineered it.

Corvo had never told Jessamine this. He wasn’t sure he ought to now.

Jessamine’s next words shattered his contemplation.

“So… any plans for a second date?”


	7. the (other) note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If he is playing a game with you, I think it’s not one designed to hurt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise!!

“ _Date?_ ” Corvo thought he might sound just a little hysterical. “This wasn’t—”

Jess snorted.

“Don’t tell me you learnt nothing,” she said, not unkindly. “Are you still truly so blind to anyone’s interest in you?”

“I—“ Corvo started. “Jess—“

“He knows who you are. He pursued you anyway.”

“Then it’s a game to him. All of it. He couldn’t have known I would try and follow him. He’s like… a cat, playing with its food. I should never have gone after him.”

“But you did. On your own, at a moment’s notice,” Jessamine reminded him. “If you hadn’t, you’d have never received that note, I’m sure of it. Why did you do it?”

Corvo stalled for words. “I don’t… I don’t know. Curiosity, is the best and worst excuse I have. He was in a _coffee shop_ , Jess.”

“And you followed him out of it; and in return, he took you out to dinner. If he is playing a game with you, I think it’s not one designed to hurt.”

“Why are you encouraging this?” Corvo stared at her, incredulous.

“Because I received a note as well.”

“WHAT.”

Jessamine leaned over the side of the sofa to retrieve something from her bag.

“Here, read it,” she told him with a knowing smile.

So Corvo did.

“Empress —

I promise you will have Attano back whole and healthy before midnight, only perhaps a little confused as to my intentions; which, I assure you, are entirely honourable.

However, one word from him — or you — will curtail any further discussions.

— D.”

Corvo read the note twice. Three times.

“Where and when did you receive this?”

“A bike messenger dropped it off at the office just after you left. It was vetted, as everything always is. And no,“ she cut him off before he could protest, “we will not requisition traffic camera video from Curnow to chase down the courier. They’re unlikely to be part of Daud’s operation, at least not knowingly.“

Corvo sighed. He was doing that a lot tonight.

“Corvo,” Jess said softly and put her hand on his cheek. “I am convinced he likes you. But did you like him?”

Corvo hardly knew.


	8. the challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the invitation came, as Jess was sure it would, would he go? And would he go merely out of curiosity, because he wanted to know where this led, what game Daud could possibly be playing? At best, he’d grow bored soon — at worst, he’d decide Corvo was a threat he needed to eliminate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyyyyyyyy
> 
> (also none of this is planned, I'm just following the words as they come along and then try to figure out where to go next once I've posted a chapter)

The trouble was — Corvo did. He couldn’t say why; well, except perhaps that Daud was handsome and intelligent and good company, for a mob boss. Corvo’s eyes sprang open, wide. Was he—was he really considering..?

If the invitation came, as Jess was sure it would, would he go? And would he go merely out of curiosity, because he wanted to know where this led, what game Daud could possibly be playing? At best, he’d grow bored soon — at worst, he’d decide Corvo was a threat he needed to eliminate.

Corvo was only too aware of the danger this was putting Jess and Emily in — but at the same time, no-one was more equipped to handle a strange entanglement with Gristol’s foremost criminal than him. The public may know little of him; but in the right circles, the name Corvo Attano inspired equal parts fear, respect, and murderous intent.

If _Daud_ wanted him taken out, he’d be dead already.

*

The invitation arrived two days later — two days Corvo had not entered any coffee shops or warehouses for fear of making a fool of himself by constantly looking over his shoulder.

A penthouse, this time, in a building yet under construction — owned by Dunwall, Inc. Daud specifically requested he be there at 1pm, and was waiting for him there. Billie, too, and the young man who Corvo had met at the warehouse. Rinaldo, Daud introduced him. Why was he giving him _names_ to put to faces? Was Daud so sure of himself, and Corvo’s reluctance to take this to Curnow? There was no table set for two this time. To business, then.

“Did I pass the test?” Corvo said by way of greeting.

Daud let the corners of his mouth tick up in a smile. “Perhaps.” He turned and walked over to a large desk in the corner. Corvo wondered if that had been brought here just for the occasion. Should he be flattered?

“Daud… why are you doing all this? What are you hoping to achieve? You know who I am, you know how this has to—”

Corvo stopped in his tracks when Daud returned from the desk carrying a file, and handed it to him.

“Open it.”

Frowning and feeling distinctly out of the loop, Corvo did. Burrows’ face greeted him.

“Burrows didn’t take his ousting lightly. Jessamine was right in suspecting him responsible for her husband’s death, as I’m sure you know.“

“She got rid of him but had no proof,“ Corvo murmured, thumbing through the pages.

“This,” Daud gestured, “is proof. And not just of the murder. Burrows has publicly retired, but in truth he’s been working with the Abeles. Their design is to acquire as many Dunwall, Inc. shares as they can, through subsidiaries and shell companies. And then, at the end, a hostile take-over.”

“How did you know about Leon?” Corvo backtracked, wanting confirmation, if nothing else.

“Burrows tried to hire one of my people for the job. I let him know I didn’t appreciate his… meddling.”

“So you hit Tailor deliberately when he did take the job,” Corvo ventured.

Daud inclined his head minutely. “He was in my way anyhow.”

Corvo looked back down at the file. “This. This is why you designed to meet me.”

“Yes,” Daud admitted plainly. Then: “Disappointed?”

“No, I—” Corvo raised his eyes to find Daud had stepped closer quite silently.

Daud tilted his head. “Because it’s not why I wanted to have dinner.“

Something settled in Corvo’s chest.

“Then why?”

“Can’t you guess?”

Before Corvo could answer, Daud had leaned up — and kissed him.


	9. the lie/truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So you lied,” Corvo murmured when Daud pulled away. And he hadn’t caught it. Daud was still standing close. “You lied,” Corvo repeated, holding his gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> booooooyyyysssssss pls

“So you lied,” Corvo murmured when Daud pulled away. And he hadn’t caught it. Daud was still standing close. “You lied,” Corvo repeated, holding his gaze.

“I’ve never lied to you, bodyguard,” Daud rumbled then. “I did design to meet you, yes, but not at the coffee shop. It was a coincidence. I had planned on approaching you through… other channels.”

“You were a hundred yards away from my apartment,” Corvo countered. Yet, he did not step away.

“As I have been a hundred times before,” Daud told him. “One of my contractors lives on the same block. I like to visit them personally.”

“Who?” Corvo demanded.

Daud tilted his head.

Corvo sighed, then looked away. Belatedly, he remembered that they hadn’t been alone. He cast his eyes around the room, but there was no sign of Billie and Rinaldo.

“They know when to make themselves scarce,” Daud said, amusement clear in his voice.

Corvo’s eyes returned to his. “You kissed me,“ he said then.

“You kissed back,” Daud said quietly.

Corvo had never been any good at fighting internal battles. He let his gaze drop to Daud’s lips. “I did.” So he bowed his head, and kissed him again.

He was still holding the file Daud had given him.


	10. the trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You still haven’t answered my question,” Jessamine remarked as she handed the note over to Corvo as they sat in her office at the top of Dunwall Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jess: So you're the mob boss dating my boyfriend.

The next invitation was addressed thus:

“Empress and Corvo —

If it please you both, there will be a separate package delivered, containing a location where we will not be disturbed.

Please clear your schedules for the afternoon.

— D.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Jessamine remarked as she handed the note over to Corvo as they sat in her office at the top of Dunwall Tower.

“And which question is that?” Corvo read the note, unable to stop the faint smile he felt tugging at his lips.

“You know full well what you refuse to tell me. Is Daud a good kisser, or is he not?”

Corvo smirked at her then. “You’ll just have to see, won’t you?”

She looked about ready to toss a stapler at his head. “Much as I will enjoy watching, I’ve no doubt, is it too much to ask to hear you say so?“

“So you can tell me ‘I told you so’?” Corvo needled. “No, thank you kindly.”

“Pft,” Jess huffed. “The ingratitude.”

*

As it was, Jessamine and Corvo both forgot all about their bickering when they arrived at the aforementioned secret location. Rinaldo had delivered the ‘package’ — the key card to a rental car waiting for them two blocks from the Tower. Another token of trust, Corvo thought, for Daud to send one of his best on such an errand.

“Welcome,” Daud said when they were led, by someone whose name Corvo thought might be Thomas, into a spacious office. The far wall was covered in screens: some showing security feeds, one the news, and the others, well. Burrows and his co-conspirators. Campbell, Director of the SEC. Abele, newly appointed CEO of his late father’s company. Everything that was in the file Daud had given Corvo, to take home to Jessamine and discuss what to do.

“Empress,” Daud sketched a bow to Jessamine but kept his eyes on her, a teasing expression on his face.

She regarded him and, making up her mind, held out her hand for him to shake. “I hate that name,” she said frankly. “But seeing as you have captured Corvo’s attention so thoroughly, I might just allow it.”

“Then I’m a lucky man,” Daud returned as he let go of her. He then turned to Corvo, a smile that was fast becoming familiar appearing on his face. “Corvo.”

“Daud.” Exchanging a quick glance with Jess, Corvo stepped forward and kissed him. Daud hummed against his lips. When they broke apart, Corvo felt warmth rise in his cheeks.

“He likes it when you tug at his bottom lip with your teeth,” Jess chose then to comment. Daud’s smile widened.

“Good to know,” he rasped.

Corvo blushed harder.

“We have work to do,“ he reminded them quietly.


	11. the courtship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvo grinned. He waited for Jess to hang up and put her phone away, then rounded the desk to leaned against it at her side. “Flowers, hm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *claps hands like a deranged seal*

One morning, Corvo entered Jessamine’s office, and was greeted by the largest bouquet of orchids he had seen this far from Saggunto. Jess was at her desk, on a call. ‘Five minutes,’ she signalled, and Corvo nodded, contenting himself with examining the flowers. There was no card that he could see, even though he had a hunch who’d sent them. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Jessamine holding something out to him.

A note.

“Empress —

To celebrate the indictment of Burrows and Campbell, please accept this token as well as an invitation to dinner at the house. Tell our man to wear the charcoal suit.

— Daud”

Corvo grinned. He waited for Jess to hang up and put her phone away, then rounded the desk to leaned against it at her side. “Flowers, hm?”

“He likes me,” Jessamine replied haughtily, with a teasingly arched eyebrow.

Corvo leaned down to kiss her. “He’s courting you,” he murmured against her lips. He kissed her again. “I didn’t get flowers on my first date with him, much less before.”

“Well, in his defence, it was very short notice,” Jess said, then brushed her thumb over his bottom lip. Then, she gave him a searching look. “Did he discuss this with you?“ she asked, pointing at the vase.

“You mean, did he ask me what your favourite flowers were so that he might make his intentions known to you in the least subtle way possible?“ Corvo teased her, earning himself a flick against his chin. At length, he relented. “We talked about it. He’s very taken with you. And I,” he said, taking her hand in both of his, “couldn’t imagine anything better.”

Jessamine smiled softly. “Really?”

“Really,” Corvo nodded. He leaned down again to whisper into her ear. “And to answer another question you will not stop asking: he is _fantastic_ in bed.”

Jessamine groaned in frustration.


	12. the commitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they should have expected, Emily made the decision for them.
> 
> “I want to meet him, you know,” she said one night at dinner. “Your Daud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Corvo and Jess spent one or two nights a week at ‘the house,’ as Daud simply called it, now. The night Jessamine learnt just how good Daud truly was, Corvo watched from the other end of the bed at first, then joined them when they both reached for him. Between them, they reduced Jess to a gasping, quivering mess; and Corvo would’ve been a lot more smug if Jess and Daud then hadn’t turned the tables on him. He was going to have to talk to Jess about a few ideas _he_ had — they concerned Daud, a nice breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and absolutely no clothes for an entire day.

For now, however, they had to contend with the very real question of whether to introduce Daud to Emily. He’d made no demands upon their family: he seemed happy to know them as they were. He _asked_ about Emily, was interested in her education and her prospects; had once jokingly inquired whether there were any altogether too forward young men or women that needed scaring off. (Corvo did not doubt for a moment that, if they asked, Daud would send someone within the hour to do just that.) But he accepted that Corvo and Jess, as Emily’s caretakers, were as yet separate from what the three of them shared now.

The question was: did they want to change that?

As they should have expected, Emily made the decision for them.

“I want to meet him, you know,” she said one night at dinner. “Your Daud.”

Corvo and Jessamine exchanged a look. Well.

To Daud, they said: “Emily says she’d like to meet you.”

Daud smiled. “I’ll have a room made up for her.”

The house was big enough that many of Daud’s crew lived there with him. Over time, Corvo and Jess had learnt that he had taken most of them in when they were teens, saving them from a life on the streets.

Billie, in her forthright way, had told Corvo that they all did what they did because they’d seen no better way back then. Out of loyalty, too; but not fear. Everyone was given the choice, before they started. Everyone still had a choice. Daud ran a tight ship, but he had as many secrets as he had because he could afford them — and because his people would never talk.

“You could start in his crew, or you could stay for a while longer while he found you a job on the outside,” she’d explained. “Chances are, the barista down the street? Was here once, and he let them find something better. Not that they’ll ever tell you that.”

It was strange, having breakfast with Daud in the main dining room, hearing the Whalers’ voices coming from the communal kitchen down the hall. But then, it wasn’t. Not anymore.

“What will you tell her?” Daud asked now.

“If she’s to come here, she needs to know the truth,” Jessamine echoed what she and Corvo had discussed, at length, the night before, after Emily’s announcement. “She’s old enough to understand.”

“That her parents are seeing a wanted criminal?“ Daud asked, his brow drawn sardonically.

Jessamine’s eyes flickered to Corvo. This was something else they’d discussed.

Corvo cleared his throat. “That her parents are in love with a wanted criminal,” he said quietly. “Yes.”

Daud looked between them for a moment.

“Alright,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter to go!!


	13. the (happy) end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Corvo,” Lieutenant Curnow said as he entered Corvo’s office at Dunwall Tower. “I could really use your help on this one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and to bring it back around to the original silly post...

“Corvo,” Lieutenant Curnow said as he entered Corvo’s office at Dunwall Tower. “I could really use your help on this one.”

Corvo held in a sigh and forced his expression into something neutral. Daud had warned him this was coming — Jess and Daud had both warned him, and Emily had laughed for a full minute.

“Of course, Geoff. What can I do?”

“It’s about the Whalers. It’s about Daud.”

*

“So, loves,” Jessamine said when Corvo and Daud arrived at the house that night. “How was your day at work?“

Corvo and Daud stopped in their tracks in the lobby.

“He fucking shot me,” Daud growled, jerking his thumb at Corvo. Jessamine was visibly fighting not to burst out laughing. “THAT was my day at work.”

“You knocked me into a corn silo,” Corvo returned, unimpressed. “And I shot your jacket, not you.“

“I like this jacket! You couldn’t have _missed_? Best marksman in the Isles, my ass.”

Jessamine stepped up to them. Kissed Daud, deep and lingering. Kissed Corvo with as much care.

“Does Curnow suspect you?”

Daud sighed. “Not a thing.”

“Then will you please take me to bed?”

Corvo and Daud shared a charged look over her shoulder. It was Corvo who hooked one arm over her shoulder, the other under her knees, and lifted her. She yelped at first, then laughed, curling a hand behind Corvo’s neck and reaching for Daud with the other.

“Emily asked if she could borrow Galia for a few hours tomorrow, after school.”

“I dread to ask what for, but of course.”

Corvo ascended the stairs, Daud following behind; up into the wing of the house that Daud — that they had to themselves. He stepped past them only to open the door to the master bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahhhhh thank you everyone who read and liked this!!


End file.
